Ferrari shows off new gym.

Yesterday at Maranello, the press was given the opportunity by Ferrari to see the new gym, built at the Fiorano circuit, alongside the one built for the use of the drivers' back in 1997.

The fitness levels of the Race and Test teams are more important than ever, given the frenetic pace of the World Championship, with continuous travel, the problems of jet lag and the heavy work load.

The sheer volume of work that they have to get through is usually underestimated. A regular training programme is the target which certainly has benefits in terms of keeping weight down, avoiding the dangers of heart disease and high cholesterol levels as well as keeping muscles in shape and speeding up reaction time.

Thanks to Ferrari's official supplier, Technogym, the facility is kitted out with all the very best equipment, for the team to use under the guidance of a trainer, the osteopath, Paolo Malpeli. Available to both the Race and Test teams, the structure will be used alongside a more general "Well-being Project," which has been in place for a few years now, run by a team of doctors under Dr. Alessandro Biffi and Dr. Fred Fernando, from the Med-Ex centre.

In fact, all Ferrari and Maserati employees are entitled to a free annual medical check-up with specialists, as well as free access to several sports centres in the area.

The main idea behind this initiative, strongly supported by President Luca di Montezemolo and Jean Todt, is to provide an important and useful service to all employees, while educating them about their health, with the emphasis on preventing illness. Over the years, this initiative has been very successful and doctors have noted a definite improvement in the general health of their patients.

This week, with the championship over, "Check - up Formula 1" took place for the 700 or so employees of the Gestione Sportiva. With so many people to see a mobile clinic was brought to Fiorano, to simplify and speed up the process. The staff were checked with an electrocardiogram while exerting themselves, as well as checks for fatty tissue in arteries, as well as other specialist services such orthopaedics and opticians amongst others.